Morning Briefing: Texas highways need $315 billion to keep state on the go

Welcome to the Texas on the Potomac morning briefing. Every morning, we offer Texas links, “Potomac” links for Washington stories and a sampling of the best Texas political blogs. Check back with us at midday and the end of the afternoon for more news links.

Texas Links

A physician by training, Parazynski, 49, said his nearly two decades with NASA have, in turn, prepared him for a new career at the Methodist Hospital Research Institute, where he began last month as its chief medical and technology officer. Houston Chronicle>>>

During the next 20 years, the Texas Department of Transportation will need $315 billion to spend on the state’s roads and freeways for maintenance and construction just to keep traffic from getting worse, according to a report commissioned by the Texas Transportation Commission. Houston Chronicle>>>

VIDEO: Hundreds rallied at the Texas State Capitol on Tuesday to protect Planned Parenthood’s health and family planning services. The organization faces a firestorm of legislation from conservative lawmakers. Texas Tribune>>>

Abolishing the state’s two existing juvenile justice agencies and creating one new department to prevent crime and treat and punish young offenders could save Texas up to $150 million. Texas Tribune>>>

Potomac Links

One of the provisions of the health reform law that insurers hate most requires that they spend at least 80 percent of what we pay them in premiums for actual medical care. That provision alone is a major reason why insurance companies and their allies invested so heavily in Republican candidates last year. Center for Public Integrity>>>

Science and politics rarely play nicely together, and a House hearing Tuesday on a bill to strip the Environmental Protection Agency of its power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions proved no exception. New York Times>>>

Within hours after a video emerged showing NPR’s fundraising chief disparaging tea partiers as “racist” and saying the broadcaster would be better off without federal funding, Republicans in Congress seeking to de-fund NPR said they’d be only too happy to oblige. Politico>>>

Texas Blogs

Joel Burns, a district 9 councilman accepted an invitation to take part in a forum on bullying Thursday, led by President Obama and the first lady and will include a number of educators from around the country. PoliTex>>>

Today in Texas History

On this date in 1847, the Battle of Veracruz — a 20-day siege of the Mexican seaport Veracruz — began in the midst of the Mexican-American War, which was fought over the U.S. annexation of what is now Texas.more>>>